Trump planning to fire DoJ lawyers who investigated him, names pick for key post of treasury secretary: Live

Matt Gaetz responded to praise from Vice President-Elect JD Vance last night by hinting darkly that he might return in another form like some sort of ghastly extraterrestrial super-villain.

Here’s Josh Marcus on the prospect of him slipping seamlessly back into Congress.

Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the role on Thursday, saying his candidacy was “becoming a distraction” in light of the intense media coverage of the past investigations into his alleged drug use and sex with a minor, accusations he has consistently denied.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” he wrote on X.

It’s fair to say that Senate Democrat John Fetterman was not altogether surprised by the development:

This is what Trump had to say publicly in tribute to Gaetz yesterday:

However, behind the scenes, his team had reportedly been forced to conclude that their man was too “blackmail-able” for further consideration.

Here’s more on that from Gustaf Kilander.

Good morning!

If you’re just catching up to the whirlwind events of yesterday, Donald Trump’s has announced that former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi is his new pick to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) following the departure of ex-congressman Matt Gaetz.

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” the president-elect wrote in a statement on Thursday evening.

“Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”

Gaetz was highly complimentary about Bondi’s choice (but then what else could he say?), although his praise was dwarfed by that of an excessively grovelling Lindsey Graham.

Republican senator Mike Rounds told CNN yesterday that Bondi would be subjected to the same scrutiny by Congress as Trump’s other cabinet picks but questions have already been raised on that point...

Here’s the full story from Mike Bedigan and Alex Woodward.

Donald Trump is nearly done with his slate of initial Cabinet nominees as his incoming White House and broader administration begin to take shape.

And while a few notables are making headlines and could face real opposition to their respective confirmations, more are expected to sail smoothly through the Republican-controlled Senate.

Most reflect one of two schools of the Republican Party, now both totally subservient to Trump. Some are MAGA diehards, like Matt Gaetz and Kristi Noem. Others are more aligned with the party’s center, like Marco Rubio. Figures who fall into both camps may find opportunities for common ground with Democrats over the next four years — a valuable prospect if the opposition party is able to win control of one or both chambers of Congress in the future.

A number of Cabinet positions remain outstanding: Trump has yet to name his picks for Agriculture, HUD, Treasury and Labor. But his choices for the most prominent positions are now all named, and some are much more bipartisan — or more antagonistic — than a layperson might expect.

John Bowden reports.

While Trump’s pick for education secretary is relatively unknown in academic circles, she is famous in another: the WWE ring.

Former wrestling mogul and billionaire Linda McMahon has stunned educators by being unveiled as Trump’s choice to run the Department of Education – or, perhaps, to lead the operation to scrap it altogether.

But how much education experience does she actually have?

Rhian Lubin takes a look.

Women veterans, service members and advocacy groups are outraged by recent remarks from Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s military branches, a veteran and former Fox News host who does not want women serving in combat.

Pete Hegseth, who Trump has nominated to be the next secretary of defense, has been widely derided for a lack of qualifications to lead the country’s largest federal agency and its 3 million service members and civilian staff members.

Here’s retired General Mark Milley giving his blunt response to Hegseth’s nomination:

Alex Woodward reports.

Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetzannounced on Thursday that he would end his bid to be Donald Trump’s attorney general.

“I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback — and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” tweeted Gaetz.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

Nikki Haley has launched into a blistering critique of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F Kennedy Jr, slamming the former as “a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer.”

The former United Nations Ambassador in Trump’s first administration raised major concerns about Gabbard, who was picked as director of national security, and RFK Jr, who was nominated Health and Human Services secretary, during her SiriusXM show Nikki Haley Live on Wednesday.

James Liddell reports.

Matt Gaetz has withdrawn himself from consideration for the role of Donald Trump’s attorney general.

The former Florida congressman announced he was ending his bid to head up the Justice Department on Thursday, saying he had become “a distraction” to the future Trump-Vance administration.

His withdrawal comes following a week of intense scrutiny over resurfaced allegations of wrongdoing, including a federal sex trafficking probe – that ended without charges – and a House ethics inquiry. He vehemently denies the allegations.

Josh Marcus and Rhian Lubin break down what you need to know.

Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News host, has argued that President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks will not have any sway over policy in his next administration.

The 75-year-old appeared on NewsNation on Wednesday night, saying that Trump is likely to concentrate power at the White House and simply have his department leaders follow his directives.

The commentator compared Trump’s incoming administration to that of Franklin D. Roosevelt, saying that the president-elect will put in place a structure where cabinet members will simply follow his lead.

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